Cup with high handle, approx. 2500-1900 BCE.
The region bordering the Yellow River, which runs more than 3,400 miles from the Himalayan Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, has long been considered the cradle of Chinese civilization. These vast, fertile plains encouraged the rise of agriculture and the development of neolithic cultures (New Stone Age, roughly 6000-2000 BCE). Archeological discoveries made over the past few decades have revealed that early societies also flourished to the south, along the Yangzi River, as well as sites in the far northeast. These finds indicate that Chinese civilization arose through the gradual blending of several regional cultures.
The name of a culture is usually based on a single site which defines a distinct cultural group. For example, Yangshao is based on a village in Henan close to a site excavated first in 1921, even though the term can be applied to a vast area. Similarly, Longshan cultures are named after a single village in Shandong province, even though a variety of Longshan cultures exist across China in the later Neolithic period. The names given to these groups are of course modern appelations, and we do not know what the original peoples called themselves until we reach the historical period.
Ceramic vessels and jade objects found in late neolithic tombs were probably created for people’s use and pleasure not only during their lifetimes but also in the afterlife. The number and quality of objects in larger tombs suggest the existence of cultures with advanced technologies, specialized artisans, and marked class distinctions.
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If you were to design a bronze vessel for a friend who has done something important for you, what shape would you make it? How would you decorate it? Would you use designs like the ones on the bronze vessels in the museum? What would you inscribe on it?
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Tips and resources to inspire sustainable and slow fashion consumption.
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In the spring of 2020, a herd of wild Asian elephants started migrating north from Southwest China. As of June 2021, the elephants have traveled 500 kilometers, navigating through rural areas and cityscapes toward an unknown destination. Scientists believe this unusual migration was spurred by deforestation, urbanization, and habitat loss.
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Create your own paper lantern and retell “The Girl Who Used Her Wits.”
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Make your own seal script stamp and use it to “sign” a decorated postcard.
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The Chinese Zodiac is based on a twelve-year cycle and each year is linked to an animal. Find your birth year and color in your zodiac animal.
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Islam has been an important cultural force in much of Asia for more than five hundred years, and in some parts for more than a thousand. Today, far more Muslims live in other parts of Asia than in the Arab areas of Asia such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
Background Information
As with art, literature, and philosophy, the Tang dynasty (618-906) nurtured a Golden Age of development and innovation in science and technology that culminated in the Song dynasty (960-1279). The expansive exchange of foreign goods and information during the Tang, together with the high value placed upon close observation and analysis that characterized the Song, set the stage for vigorous scientific innovations. Important advances were made in astronomy, agriculture, industry, medicine, and military technologies.
